It is a sand cay surrounded by a shallow reef platform interspersed with sandy patches, with little live coral present.

The extensive shallow water habitats in the area also support large numbers of migrating green turtles.

The breeding assemblages in north and eastern Australia are the largest remaining rookeries for green turtles.

Although Warul Kawa has been inhabited periodically by Europeans in the past, there has been little impact on the natural environment as evident by the presence of only two-recorded exotic plant species.

These habitats support thirty-three species of birds, including the yellow-footed scrubfowl, not reported on many other islands in Torres Strait.